Improving ADA Access

Summary

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) motivated libraries all over the United States to evaluate their accommodations and services to patrons with disabilities. This article presents a case study of the Texas Tech University Libraries project to meet the needs of their patrons in relation to ADA. The study focuses on including adaptive technologies in the library environment to aid blind, hearing, visually and physically-impaired patrons and increasing library staff awareness of the needs of patrons with disabilities. Findings from the study will also benefit school, public, and special libraries that are evaluating their access for patrons with disabilities.     

Libr-AR-y Tours: Increasing engagement and scalability of library tours using augmented reality

Abstract

Orienting patrons to library spaces, collections, and services is an important, but time-intensive, challenge for many librarians. Library tours are one strategy commonly employed to familiarize patrons with library spaces and services. Augmented reality provides a new opportunity for librarians to develop engaging and interactive unmediated tours. Augmented reality tours provide participants with an opportunity to explore library spaces and service points while affording librarians the chance to share valuable information about those spaces and services. This article details how one library constructed an augmented reality tour and shares assessment-based insights into participant responses to the augmented reality format.     

Technology Help 2.0: Solutions for the Information Commons

ABSTRACT

Access services librarians at Southeastern Louisiana University's Sims Memorial Library observed patrons' technology help needs and created an interactive training manual that empowers library faculty and staff to provide public service technology help in the Information Commons. The new training manual takes technology help in the academic library to the next level, “Technology Help 2.0,” because it allows librarians to learn about technology by directly observing the needs of patrons, develop new skills at their own pace, and adapt to the constantly evolving technology demands of the Information Commons.     

Assistive Technologies for Library Patrons with Visual Disabilities

ABSTRACT

This study provides an overview of the various products available for library patrons with blindness or visual impairments. To provide some insight into the status of library services for patrons with blindness, a sample of American universities that are recognized for their programs for students with visual impairments was surveyed to discern which assistive technology products are available in their libraries. The results of the study are analyzed and conclusions are offered.     

Becoming Mobile: Reference in the Ubiquitous Library

ABSTRACT

Library patrons are adopting mobile devices for personal and other uses. The ubiquity of mobile devices will lead to changes in how and where learning and education happens. Libraries have wanted to become ubiquitous by making resources and services available anywhere, anytime. Reference librarians can use mobile devices and applications to include services in mobile learning environments. Challenges to libraries include uncertainty about which technologies to adopt in a rapidly changing technology landscape, the cost of technology adoption, staffing for 24–7, diversity of needs and preferences among library patrons, and the need to offer stable, consistent services. The combination of mobile librarians, mobile patrons, and mobile content provides an opportunity to move closer to the ideal of the ubiquitous library.

This article originally published in Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 51, Issue 3, pages 279–290, 2011. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2011.556942.     

Making Electronic Resources Available to Patrons

Summary

As law schools build interactive web sites for teaching and administrative functions, law libraries must continue to develop useful and resource-rich web sites of electronic materials for their patrons. This article examines issues and practical considerations for implementing Internet and CD-ROM resources in a library and provides a basic review of the media available. Suggestions for building an Internet or Intranet site are included as is an explanation of how to use database-driven tools to create an integrated environment.     

E-Problems,E-Solutions

Summary

Problem patrons are not a phenomenon exclusive to the public library arena. Academic libraries have throughout time had their own share of difficult patrons. This article focuses on problem patrons and reference staff in the academic library with a particular focus on electronic equipment and resources, particularly the Internet. Issues include viewing of pornographic images by patrons, plagiarism and the librarian's role, use of e-mail and chat, and cell phone use in the reference area.     

Selling the Library from the Reference Desk

Abstract

Many library directors and administrators spend a significant portion of their time attempting to market the library and its services. Getting patrons into the library and keeping their business is an integral part of the day-to-day management of the library. This mission, however, is not always effectively passed on to the front lines to the one group of people who face the patrons on a daily basis -the reference librarians.

This article will show how the library's service points can be used as marketing tools; outline what librarians and public service staff should know about their library; and discuss ways in which reference service librarians can help further the library's marketing and public relations goals.     

Outside the Exhibit Case

Summary

In planning for a major traveling exhibit in UCLA's undergraduate library outreach was a priority. Programming and publicity targeted segments of the campus and community both as participants and as attendees. This collaboration came to fruition in an exciting array of programs that brought many people into the library and demonstrated the strengths of collections, resources and services to new audiences.

UCLA's College Library, the undergraduate library that recently returned to its historic and award-winning Powell Library Building, was a site for the ALA-Smithsonian traveling exhibition, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the United States Constitution.” The Programs and Exhibits Committee of the Library surrounded the display of this material with several months' worth of diverse community and campus programming. Events involved staff, faculty, students, local K-12 teachers, members of the Los Angeles Japanese American Community, writers, film makers, even a movie star (this IS Los Angeles)! In addition to highlighting the strengths of UCLA's Library collections through traditional means, a variety of media and multimedia programs and events supplemented the exhibit.     

Going Where the Students Are

Summary

Increased student use of the Internet and declining reference desk statistics are factors encouraging academic reference librarians to look for new ways to reach patrons. Web-based customer contact center software gives librarians the tools to provide interactive, 24/7 reference service to Internet users. This article describes how the library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona developed its live/web reference service. We discuss the factors that encouraged us to launch the service, the challenges that we encountered along the way, and examples of our experiences to date.     

Cases of Censorship in Public Libraries: Loudoun County,VA

ABSTRACT

In 1998, a group of adult library patrons and individuals in Loudoun County, Virginia, brought a suit against library trustees, board members, and the director of the county’s public library, claiming that the library’s use of Internet blocking software was an infringement on their First Amendment rights, leading to the federal court case Mainstream Loudoun v. Board of Trustees of the Loudoun County Library (1998). Using an in-depth case study approach and going beyond a review of the court documents, the author uses a series of qualitative interviews with individuals connected to the court case to gather more in-depth information regarding events surrounding this case of censorship in public libraries and investigate the phenomenon of librarians acting as censors themselves.     

Library Safety Through Design: Using a Checklist Approach at the University of Idaho

ABSTRACT

Libraries are responsible for the safety, security, and welfare of their patrons, employees, collections, buildings, and property. Well-designed library spaces enhance the overall security and safety of the library building and its users. One potential tool to assist in assessing library spaces and building design is the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) methodology. This article presents a case study in which a CPTED checklist was used to examine safety and security design features in an academic library environment. In conjunction with other safety measures, including dedicated safety committees, expert-led safety trainings, and ongoing conversations about security in the library, the CPTED checklist can help inform library conversations about building security and contribute to a safer, more secure atmosphere in which students can thrive.     

Touring Fantasyland: The “Maps of Imaginary Places” Collection and Exhibit at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives

The Maps of Imaginary Places Collection at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University (TAMU) is a singular collaborative effort between two library departments at creating a collection that not only appeals to a wide range of patrons but shows how maps, fantasy, and popular culture intersect. In 2017, the Cushing Library mounted a popular exhibit showcasing highlights from this collection in order to bring the emotional and imaginative power of maps to a wider audience. This article describes how both the collection and exhibit were developed, as well as how they have been received by different patron groups, and includes as future directions for the collection. The principles and procedures for development of such a collection and exhibit are also described.     

Peeking at the Potty: Learning from Academic Library Bathrooms and Advocating Change

Abstract

The authors present the checklist which they created and used to examine twenty academic library bathrooms located in the New York City area. They focus on the most pressing themes they have observed: libraries without restrooms, bathrooms that are difficult to find, cleanliness and maintenance of restrooms, and ensuring library bathrooms address the needs of patrons with disabilities, and of transgender and gender non-conforming patrons. This work is a call to action. Readers are invited to adapt the checklist to their own institutional needs, and then consider the authors’ practical recommendations for improvements based on their findings.     

Serving Pro Se Patrons

Abstract

Historically, non-lawyer patrons in law libraries have been viewed with discomfort, and library services, even in libraries open to the public, have been geared toward members of the legal community. However, changes in both the needs of the public and in the demographics of library patrons are challenging the traditional allocation of services in public law libraries. This article discusses the reasons for the traditional allocation of services, the cultural and economic forces that are bringing the public to law libraries in greater numbers, and new modes of service that can better meet the needs of public patrons.     

Privacy Please? A Comparison Between Self-Checkout and Book Checkout Desk Circulation Rates for LGBT and Other Books

ABSTRACT

Improving library technologies allow patrons greater autonomy. One such technology, self-checkout kiosks, puts patrons in virtual control over their circulation experience. Whereas previously patrons had to approach circulation staff to check out, now this can be done privately. The impact self-checkout has on the circulation of potentially embarrassing or controversial materials is unknown. In this study, select lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and non-LGBT materials at Central Michigan University's Park Library were anonymously tracked for one academic year to determine if they circulated via self-check or the traditional circulation desk. LGBT materials circulated twenty percent more via self-check, indicating that patrons appreciated the machines' privacy.     

All Aboard the eTrain

Abstract

As more and more library resources become available through the Internet, and as libraries move to 24/7 access to their collections and services, library instruction must move to this environment. The question is how to best move instruction to the Web while continuing to provide quality interactive sessions that are meaningful to the patron. While much of the literature dealing with developing online instruction focuses on for-credit courses, most librarians still reach the majority of their patrons through one-time instruction sessions. This paper looks at how one large urban university began moving its one-time instruction onto the Web, exploring the main developmental efforts in this area, including dedication to process, content quality, faculty input, and student feedback.     

Curating the Library Exhibit “Russian Revolution: Actors and Witnesses” at Harvard University: A Collaborative Experience

ABSTRACT

Tasked with organizing and promoting an exhibit of Russian Revolution-related materials from Harvard University’s vast library holdings in a relatively small space, the curators faced both advantages and challenges. This article describes the curatorial choices and logistical solutions reached via a collaboration between staff at several units across the university: Houghton, Widener, and Fung Libraries, the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the Weissman Preservation Center.     

The Problem Patron

Summary

Library staff and other patrons encounter patrons who are one or a combination of the following: mentally ill/disturbed, homeless, street persons, angry, aggressive, unreasonable, rude. Commonly referred to as “problem patrons,” they appear in any type of library: public, academic, institutional, corporate and special. Most of them behave poorly because of their own troubles. The history of “problem patrons,” various types of problem patrons and their identifying behaviors are discussed in this paper. In attempting to define “problem patrons” the information provides a framework for understanding the problems of challenging patrons and for learning to discriminate between problem patrons and patrons who have problems.     

Problem Patrons and Library Security

Summary

Front-line library staff members often encounter “problem patrons” —those patrons who put others in fear for their own physical security, whether or not that fear is ultimately justified. This article identifies the risks and suggests some precautions, including: defusing anger at the service points through improved interpersonal communication techniques and staff training, drafting policies and procedures to help guide staff as they deal with incidents, and improving the security of library buildings. Legal issues surrounding library security also are examined.